Wow, Matthew - you have a lot of questions! Of course, there is a common thread running through them all (see: def. of 'tantra'), which may suggest a more wholistic way of engaging them. As to the illness on the heels of profound spiritual retreat, in Buddhism we're encouraged to see these (and in dreams as well) as signs of successful purification. I know after my most intense purification retreat, 15 days on Cloud Mtn. when I could really see the negative karmic engines, I passed kidney stones in the Alvord Desert! So your intuition is correct (and I suspect Thomas would say the same thing). As to "without offending actual quantum physicists," good luck with that! I've found quantum physicists, at least the non-Buddhist ones, to be incredibly siloed in their thinking. Heck, they castigate their own kind when they dare venture out into philosophy (see, e.g., Amit Goswami, the Quantum Activist). And my experience, anyway, is that in spite of their field, many of them still cling to scientific-materialist paradigm. And thus, they have this binary way of thinking about physics and 'meta-physics' that doesn't really allow much room for creative thinking. Anyway, thanks for all that you do!
While reading your several mentions of "the climate movement" I had the feeling-thought to mention that I now believe it's time to let go of the very idea of "the climate movement" as a discrete thing apart from all of the other severe symptoms of overshoot, e.g., the biodiversity crisis, the surpassing of six of nine planetary boundaries.... More and more, I'm just thinking of it all as metacrisis, or polycrisis, with preference being "metacrisis".
I honestly don't think we can adequately address the "climate" situation without deeply contextualizing it within a paradigm which includes all of the many symptoms of overshoot, which themselves are symptoms to set within a broader context.
Now, that's not to say I should never mention my pinky finger on my left hand without also talking about my hand as a whole, my arm, and how my arm relates to my heart and lungs, and how that relates to the biosphere. But something terrible is happening with "climate activism". It's becoming increasingly narrow in its focus ... and is losing biospheric context.
In repose to your questions #4 and #30 - are you familiar with the work of Resmaa Menakem ( My Grandmother’s Hands) and the meditation teachings of Tracee Stanley and Michelle Cassandra Johnson ( and Michelle’s workshops on racialized trauma)? They may be worth looking into, if you haven’t done so already. Their work has helped me tremendously - to explore my own biases and traumas, to change / repair / heal my own nervous system, and to realize that all of this change and healing has to happen first in each and every person for this trauma to be healed on a higher level- the tipping point you refer to. I really appreciate your work and everything you are exploring and look forward to reading your newsletters. Thanks so much for all you do.
Chris, it's great to hear from you. I have heard about Resmaa Menakem's work, though have not yet engaged with it. And Tracee Stanley and Michelle Cassandra's work is new to me. I really appreciate these references, and it's inspiring to hear how much they have supported your process. And it's wonderful to have your encouragement for Resonant World! I love writing about these questions and it's very affirming to hear something of what I'm offering is landing.
Wow, Matthew - you have a lot of questions! Of course, there is a common thread running through them all (see: def. of 'tantra'), which may suggest a more wholistic way of engaging them. As to the illness on the heels of profound spiritual retreat, in Buddhism we're encouraged to see these (and in dreams as well) as signs of successful purification. I know after my most intense purification retreat, 15 days on Cloud Mtn. when I could really see the negative karmic engines, I passed kidney stones in the Alvord Desert! So your intuition is correct (and I suspect Thomas would say the same thing). As to "without offending actual quantum physicists," good luck with that! I've found quantum physicists, at least the non-Buddhist ones, to be incredibly siloed in their thinking. Heck, they castigate their own kind when they dare venture out into philosophy (see, e.g., Amit Goswami, the Quantum Activist). And my experience, anyway, is that in spite of their field, many of them still cling to scientific-materialist paradigm. And thus, they have this binary way of thinking about physics and 'meta-physics' that doesn't really allow much room for creative thinking. Anyway, thanks for all that you do!
Since you invited questions and comments....
While reading your several mentions of "the climate movement" I had the feeling-thought to mention that I now believe it's time to let go of the very idea of "the climate movement" as a discrete thing apart from all of the other severe symptoms of overshoot, e.g., the biodiversity crisis, the surpassing of six of nine planetary boundaries.... More and more, I'm just thinking of it all as metacrisis, or polycrisis, with preference being "metacrisis".
I honestly don't think we can adequately address the "climate" situation without deeply contextualizing it within a paradigm which includes all of the many symptoms of overshoot, which themselves are symptoms to set within a broader context.
Now, that's not to say I should never mention my pinky finger on my left hand without also talking about my hand as a whole, my arm, and how my arm relates to my heart and lungs, and how that relates to the biosphere. But something terrible is happening with "climate activism". It's becoming increasingly narrow in its focus ... and is losing biospheric context.
In repose to your questions #4 and #30 - are you familiar with the work of Resmaa Menakem ( My Grandmother’s Hands) and the meditation teachings of Tracee Stanley and Michelle Cassandra Johnson ( and Michelle’s workshops on racialized trauma)? They may be worth looking into, if you haven’t done so already. Their work has helped me tremendously - to explore my own biases and traumas, to change / repair / heal my own nervous system, and to realize that all of this change and healing has to happen first in each and every person for this trauma to be healed on a higher level- the tipping point you refer to. I really appreciate your work and everything you are exploring and look forward to reading your newsletters. Thanks so much for all you do.
Chris, it's great to hear from you. I have heard about Resmaa Menakem's work, though have not yet engaged with it. And Tracee Stanley and Michelle Cassandra's work is new to me. I really appreciate these references, and it's inspiring to hear how much they have supported your process. And it's wonderful to have your encouragement for Resonant World! I love writing about these questions and it's very affirming to hear something of what I'm offering is landing.